Ignition apparatus



IGNITION APPARATUS Filed Feb. 20, 1920 Patented Nov. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES ARTHUR ATWATEIR- KENT, OF ARDMOBE, PENNSYLVANIA.

IGNITION APPARATUS.

Application filed February 20, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR ATWATER KENT, a citizen of the United States, residing in Ardmore, county of Montgomery, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ignition Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to ignition apparatus, and more particularly to means for supporting a timer or interrupter mechanism of ignition apparatus upon an automobile or other internal combustion engine or associated structure.

One object of my invention is to support the interrupter or timing mechanism clear of other parts associated therewith in proximity to the engine.

A further object is to support the ignition device and its driving shaft on a long sleeve in such manner that the driving shaft will always be in perfect alignment with its bearin s.

Other 0 jects and advantages will appear from the following detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate one of the forms my invention may take and in which:

Fig. 1 is a section of an ignition mechanism and its supporting structure showing a side view of the adjusting mechanism partly in elevation.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the ignition and adjusting mechanism with a part of the supporting structure broken away.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 1 looking downwardly.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section of ignition mechanism with a modified form of supporting and adjusting mechanism, a part of the supporting mechanism being broken away.

Referring to the drawing, in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5 is shown, by way of example, an interrupter of the character described in U. S. Patent 1,289,036 granted to A. A. Kent on December 24, 1918.

Upon the base 1 is mounted the metal cap 2, which is electrically insulated from base 1 and under which is held condenser 3. Upon the cap member 2 is mounted bar 4 Serial No. 360,236.

which carries the relatively stationary contact 5. In the bar 4 is the slot 6. The bar 4 is held upon the cap 2 by means of screw 7, the slot 6 allowing for slight adjustment. The cap 2 is held on base member 1 by means of screws 8. Mounted on the base member 1 is bracket 9, adjustably held thereon by screw 10, and having an upturned portion 11 to which is rigidly secured the spring member 12, which extends inwardly beyond the upturned portion 11 andat its free end carries the movable contact point lover or member 13. On the free end of member 13 is a fiber tip 14. The movable contact point 15 is carried on member 13, as shown in Fig. 3.

The base member 1 is also provided with binding post 16; and on the under side of base member 1 are apertured lugs 17 to which are pivoted spring arms or latches 18 for holding a distributor cap. Near the center of base member 1 is a hub 19 having a machined neck 20 and a reduced portion 21. Through the base member 1 and the downwardly extending hub 19 and portion 21 is the opening 22. The cam shaft 23 is mounted to turn freely in the opening 22 in the hub 19 and extension 21. The shaft has a portion 25 of less diameter between its bearing surfaces. In the base member 1, see Fig. 3, is oil hole 24, from which an opening leads through the hub to reduced portion 25.

On the upper end of shaft 23 is cam 26 havin a desired number of projections, there icing six in the example illustrated. Gain 26 engages fiber tip 14 on the end of member 13 for periodically separating contact 15 from contact 5.

The shaft 23 has two bearing surfaces 27 and 28 in the hub 19 and extension 21, spaced apart by reduced portion 25.

Surroundingthe neck 20 of hub 19 is a split ring or collar 29 which is clamped to the neck by means of bolt 30 and nut 31. Extending from collar 29 is a rigid or integral arm 32 having at its outer end an opening 33, by means of which an operating lever or rod may be attached. On the under side of arm 32 near the neck 29 is a lug 34.

At the lower end of shaft 23 and suitably Near the upper end ofsleeve 36 are two lugsf39;,spaceid apart a "suit ble distanee. These lugs are adapted to engag lug 34 on arnif' 32 and'liniit its rotary movement. By this construction the arm 32 may befrotated u fish webs a nd ne ness, neck 20' rotates basefpl'ate, l "and: contact Pin e d 5; en'e' h'ei he e ti n. t the Loam 26 for advancing" or retarding the h e jl fksfbi j he. jad'i et eem i imit-ed. by lug 34 andjthe' two lugis tothe useful 1 and safe range.

The" 'leev'e" at its l0WQ ,end is contract;

eifmiegl her fi Q a nsbeai' n 41 for the lower endfof the cam Intermediate the ends of sleeve is a shoulder 42, which may he provided with extensions "452i having holes adaptedto receive bolts for securing th l je'g to this,

engine or' frame. Below'shoulder is a second smaller shoulder 43, and immediately above portion 40 is. a similar shoulder ief The shoulders '43 and 44 are preferahly I of the same diameter alltljlllwllllletl tl'tlQ hI1Cl are adapted to be e-ngaged by a bracket or collar on the engine or frame for laterally" "these, cond tions, there s prov dedthe. long supporting and positioning the sleeve audits related parts In that part of sleeve 36between shoulders i3 andfa l may be providedithe lateral openings 45.

. Inthe mo dified form of'my invention il lustrated inFig. 5, the collar 29 and adjust ingarm are dispensed with The n'ecl': 20 is correspondingly shortenech being only of sufhcient length to'enter the bearing 37st] theflupperend of sleeve 36 The bearing surface 38 onl the upper end of sleeve 36- abuts directly against a shoulder formed on plate 1 instead against coll ar 29, as in the form of the invention"shown in Figs. l to l. i i

As illustrated in Fig. 5, the plate 1 is provided with a lug 46, "by Ineansof which, plate land the contact pointsS andl5 may be rotated with respect to the cam for thee purpose of 'varyin g the tiine of production of the ignition spark.

Each of the necks or hubs Q0 of struc ture here nbe'fore describedfits more or." less loosely in the bearing 3'? at the upper end of 1 9119 61 w er by t e p eri end i, he

sleeve 36 laterally supports the interrupter structure, without, however, necessity for true or correct alignment of bearing at the upper end of the sleeve 36 with the cam shaft bearing r1 at the lower end thereof, and with the bearingsQ? and :28, within the interrupter structure itself: By the structure described, the cam shaft is required to have bearings onlyv in theinterrupter structure itself, as in its neck or huh 20, and at the lower end of the sleeve, rendering the structure cheaper and simpler than in case it were attempted'toelfect. a perfect bearing of the shaft 23 withrespcct to the upper en of sleeve36,

e ol l ls i i de fir bedg. s sha i ufill t heperfectali'gnrnent w 7 ri g. at 1' xiet- F. 2. Ti hial' 166-519 20 and any lateral variation of' the upper c f the i sleeve is uniinportagit fll'lijl ffects-no disaligning strain upon thesh i2 3;

it s a characteristic of my" structu e, there ore, thatini thel long sleeye the cane shaf 1 as a v bearing at one; end therep f,flwhile at 'itslother' end it"has a be ri g in the ii ter upter structure, wh ch lat er has a' loo bearni'gor lateral support in the npp end of the sleeve.

n]. o necti n, i h ntern l OmblLSl Q;

i es, fr i ii arlr h' ti zed 1 1 01 motor vehicles, it is'in many casesjiecessa rab e hat h ming mlechaii m proper, "comprising the co-acti'ng contacts d i tri tb f ap, ha l be cated, at considerable distance from or clear of tl ge engine and clear of'orreniote frorirother pa t nd. yetit s essen l hat. l' a aml driven by a; shaft of the engin generally its valve controll'i n'g can; shaft To me i of selese xr nse to P ov e a am h f of such unusual lengtlr whichcis strictly straight or true from end to end. Accordin 'ly, there is pro\ i chad a shaft' bearing in the ineinberl or its attached neCk'QO ensuring no, lateral play as between theshaft- ZQ) andlitscain26 "and the inernber i -and: the movable contact arm 13, whereby the timing of the ignition is maintainedregular and} uniform; there is provide'di also a bearing for the shaft 23 at 41 upon the sleeve mem -f" tee t nd, ther i dd t al y- P 291 vided "looseness between the neck; or jm berQQ and the upper bearin'g porti'on 3750f the long sleeve 36. h ith this construction the shaft 23 need not be absolutely true from end to end, and in case the upper end is slightly out of alignment with the axis of its bearing at its lower end at at the resultant lateral movement or pla Y will take place as between the neck 20 and the sleeve bearing 37, and there will be no lateral movement or play as between the rotating elements 23 and 26 and their relatively fixed co-acting members 1, 20 and 13, whereby notwithstanding the lack of perfection of the shaft 23 the ignition will continue to be uniform and regular, and there will be avoided the unduly hastened wear that would otherwise occur between the bearings 27 or 28 of the shaft 23 and the member 1 or its neck 20. in other words, if there be slight untruth in the shaft 23 as between its opposite ends, the resultantlateral movement is partaken of not only by the shaft 23 and the attached cam 26, but also by the co-acting timing elements. The structure is in effect a long shaft having a rigidly supported bearing, as at 41. at its one end, beyond which it is free to move laterally or partake of lateral play, the bearing 37 at the upper end of the sleeve 36 permitting but limiting such play, but nevertheless maintaining high degree of accuracy of relation between the shaft 23 and its attached cam 26 and the structure carried by or forming part of the base 1, because the base member 1 and the parts carried thereby and the upper end of the shaft 23 partake jointly of the lateral movement or play, without relative lateral movement of the upper end of the shaft 23 with respect to the member 1 and the parts carried thereby.

What I claim is:

1. Ignition apparatus comprising a base member, ignition circuit controlling contacts carried thereby, a neck on said base memher, a cam shaft having a bearing therein, and a sleeve through which said shaft extends having at its end adjacent said base member a loose bearing for said neck and at its other end a bearing for said cam shaft, whereby said shaft is aligned by its bearings in said neck and remote end of said sleeve independently of the bearing between said neck and said sleeve.

2. Ignition apparatus comprising a base member, ignition circuit controlling contacts carried thereby, a neck on said base member, a shoulder on said base member, a cam shaft having a bearing in said base member concentric with said neck, and a sleeve having at its end adjacent said base member bearings for said neck and shoulder and at its opposite end a bearing for said cam shaft, the said neck bearing being loose to permit slight radial movement of the first named bearing with respect to the sleeve.

I nition apparatus comprising a base member, ignition circuit controlling contacts carried thereby, a neck on said base member, a cam shaft having a bearing therein, a sleeve through which said shaft extends having at its end adjacent said base member a bearing for said neck and at its other end a bearing for said cam shaft, a member for rotating said base member, and co-acting projections on said member and on said sleeve limiting the rotation on said base member.

at. Ignition apparatus comprising a base member, ignition circuit controlling contacts carried thereby, a neck on said base member. a cam shaLv having a bearin therein, a sleeve through which said shaft extends having at its end adjacent said base member a loose bearing for said neck and at its other end a bearing for said cam shaft, and means on said sleeve intermediate its ends for securing the same to a support. I

5. Ignition apparatus comprising a base member, ignition circuit controlling contacts thereon, a long sleeve supporting said base member, a cam shaft having a bearing in said base member and extending through said sleeve, a neck on said base member concentric with the bearing of said shaft and having a loose bearing in the end of said sleeve adjacent said base member, and a bearing for said cam shaft at the opposite end of said sleeve.

6. Ignition apparatus comprising a base member, ignition circuit controlling contacts thereon, a long sleeve supporting said base member, a cam shaft having aligning bearings in said base member and at the remote end of said sleeve, and a neck on said base member having a short loose bearing in the end of said sleeve adjacent said base member and abutting against the end of said sleeve member.

7. Ignition apparatus comprising a base member, ignition circuit controlling contacts thereon, a neck on said base member, a long sleeve having a short loose bearing upon said neck, said neck having a portion of diameter less than the diameter of the bear ing between said neck and said sleeve and extending into said sleeve, and a cam shaft having aligning bearings in said portion of said neck and at the remote end of said sleeve.

8. Ignition apparatus comprising a base member, ignition controlling contacts thereon, a cam shaft having a bearing on said base member, a cam on said shaft controlling the co-action of said contacts, a rigidly supported bearing for said cam shaft at its end opposite said base member, and means remote from said rigidly supported bearing and adjacent said base member permitting and limiting joint lateral movement of said base member and the end of the cam shaft adjacent thereto.

9. Ignition. apparatus; comprising a. base member; ignition controlling cont act-s there; on, a cam: sha-fbhawing aivib'ezn'ingi on said base member,- a .camen.saidgsliaft-icentrolling;

the co-waction of said:c0ntaets-,:.a long; sleeve a bearing-J01 said, cam shaftri'gidly sup ported by sald sleeveat the end; of sald shaft remote from. sald base member, said sleeve" at its end aadj acent .said base member having;-

an apel'ture in which saidbase member is loosely confined, whereby joint lateralmevement: of said base m'ember and the end 0f= fixed my signa tu're-this-18th (12 3 of Feb-- ruery, 19:20: 7

YR BHL R A-ZPW ATER K E N 1; 

